Canto 21
Steadfast in Love
Hurt by Ravan’s words Seetha
Spoke to him thus in smooth tone.
How thou belittle my Lord Ram!
Doth it behove a learned man?
Blinded by thy lust Ravan
Fail thou see the God in Ram.
Having lovely wives in scores
Why eye me Ram’s only wife?
How come thou think Rama’s wife
Would ever bed with another man!
Pray thee divert from me lust
Engage all thy women in want.
Want as thou thy wives loyal
Let me be bound to my man.
Lust if thou for another’s wife
Won’t thou know that mars thy life?
That thee take the righteous path
Won’t’ thou have a right counsel?
Wonder how thee fail to see
Lanka by thine act would rue.
History all know bears witness
Ruined are kingdoms ruled by vile.
If thou wish thy Lanka well
Better bear that in mind O king.
Well O Ravan wicked as thee
Sure thou die like some street dog.
Hear as all those by thee hurt
Sure they feel good at thy death.
Sever as its rays never from sun
Never I would wean from my Ram.
Had I Rama’s arm for rest
Is there better for thee to give?
Gain as wisdom read who Vedas
It’s my Lord who gained my hand.
Help as might a gamekeeper
Beast on heat to find its mate
Let me lovelorn meet my man.
Why thou want to ruin thyself
Why not fences mend with Ram.
My Lord I tell is large hearted
Treats he kindly those penitent.
Take O Ravan my counsel
So thou could live for so long.
Plead I would thy case with Ram
Though thou hurt my cause no end.
Scare thou might the death even
Escape there none from his wrath.
Comes when Rama with war cry
Thou then shiver in thine own shoes.
Leave my Lord the king archer
Can thou stand up to Lakshman?
Come their arrows thick and fast
Where thee find some place to hide?
Know it won’t be beyond my man
Lakshman being there with him
To hunt down thee all to last man.
It’s no big deal for my man
To take me back by slaying thee.
Having known thy limitations
To confront my man in person
Don’t I know that thou contrived
That golden deer to keep him out.
Shame on thee O low Ravan
With that golden deer as ruse
The way thou snared me to Lanka.
It’s one thing to trick me then
When my man was not at home
As thou face Ram ’n Lakshman
Ball game it would be different.
Canst thou hold their little fingers
How can then thou fight them both?
Scorch as sun-rays ponds there all
Sharp their arrows sieve thy frame.
Earned as thee, wrath of Ram
Know thine end is so near end.
Canto 22
Deadline to Death
Hurt as he by Seetha’s taunts
Spoke thus Ravan in harsh tone.
Wonder the way women all tend
Tends as enamoured man of them,
As though his stock fell so low
Tend they all to belittle him.
If not for my love for thee
Rein in how could my anger!
It’s but fondness for thee mine
Makes me spare the day for thee.
But for the fact thou won me
Head thine would have rolled by now.
Know the way thee rubbished me
Should’ve earned thee third degree.
Afflicted though by his lust
Couldn’t take Ravan Seetha’s snub.
Months two more is all I give
For thee to choose death or me.
Fail if thou to bed with me
Make thy flesh then my breakfast.
Feared all angels having heard
Threat that Ravan’s to Seetha.
Concern theirs for Seetha then
Made them signal her welfare.
Assured thus of angelic grace
Spoketh Seetha thus assured:
To put the right into thy head
Sad O Ravan thee have none.
Knowing that I’m Rama’s wife
Thinks fit none to day-dream me.
For the sin of snaring me
Escape there none thee from death.
Bid in thine to kidnap me
If not for thy fear of Ram
Why thee contrived his absence?
What to make of thy valour
Boast thou as from safe distance
From my Lord thou fear to face?
Ogle as thee Rama’s wife
Wonder how thou turned not blind?
Abused as thou my Lord Ram
How come thou not turned yet dumb!
Given if Rama me the nod
Power I have to burn thee now.
It’s no joke to dupe my man
Ruse it’s but of thine own fate
Helped thee thus to hijack me
So that my Lord sees thy end.
For that cowardly act of thine
Boasts of thine all sound hollow.
Enraged by her words Ravan
Stared at her in seething rage.
Shook he as in burning wrath
Stilted sideways his gold crown.
Turned as his, eyes blood red
Peeled off sandal paste on him.
Turned to lumps of coal at once
Diamonds of his waist-band then.
On his arms with gold epaulets
Hair his stood all in straight lines.
Ear-rings his of bright corals
Matched they both the rising sun.
In his rage did Ravan seem
Like the funeral pyre on fire.
Hissed then Ravan in anger
Spoke to her thus in despair.
But for lack of common sense
How can someone fall for Ram!
Looks like I have lost patience
Time I end thy rein on life.
Having spoken to Ram’s wife
Addressed Ravan his own folk.
Know I lost my heart to her
Kept I whom as thy captive.
For the possession of this lass
Passion mine is ever on raise.
Until she takes me in arms
I can’t have the peace of mind.
If she were to turn my queen
Make her see the life in store.
Pander her to my embrace
Pamper would I her in bed.
Fails if she to fall in line
Torture all the way to hell.
Came at that an ardent dame
Spoke she then in passion thus:
Make me thine in heat Ravan
What thou get from this cold fish?
Brahma seems to have deprived
Her the chance to bed with thee.
Requites not if lass his love
Won’t she turn a pain in neck?
Mounts if man a dame in want
Takes she would him to his cum,
Having said that lass on heat
Forced then Ravan fence across.
Turned as ground their makeshift bed
Seemed as though the earth had quaked.
Came as he back from that jaunt
Led Ravan his women all home.
Went as he thus to Pushpak
Left was Seetha in panic.
